


Walking Not The Path Of Enlightenment

by Hino



Category: Pyre (Video Game)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-26
Updated: 2018-06-26
Packaged: 2019-05-28 22:22:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15059081
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hino/pseuds/Hino
Summary: The Reader cannot Ascend.





	Walking Not The Path Of Enlightenment

His exact wording had been lost on the Reader, for their mind had stopped processing once the key facts had been made clear.

Only those who walked the path of Enlightenment were permitted to ascend.  
They were not one who walked along that path.

Volfred had continued, explaining something that hadn’t quite made its way to the Reader, and he only stopped when the first little hiccup escaped their mouth. “Are you alright, my kin?”

The Reader tried to speak, opening their mouth with the full intention of saying yes, they were okay. Instead, what came out was another hiccup, and a little whine as they rubbed at their eyes, trying to clear the tears.

 

Soft hands were set on the Reader’s shoulders and they jumped, looking up to see the Sap gazing down at them. They could not feel him inside their mind, but they knew he was there, probing around in their thoughts. Had they been feeling better, the Reader may have tried to reject him. Instead, they only focused on their breathing, letting Volfred look their mind and find the thoughts they were too scared and distressed to say aloud.

“I apologize, I did not mean to upset you this way. I simply thought you knew what you were getting into.” His voice was gentle but it did nothing for the Reader who simply weeped. Their dreams of freedom were dashed, and the fact they were sending their friends away and were unable to follow had their heart aching. Were they to become isolated in the Downside? Abandoned by those they had loved and thought of as family?

“They are not abandoning you,” Volfred tried to assure. The Reader shook their head. Their words were slurred, but they mumbled about how they could not ascend with their fellow Nightwings. Was that not abandonment? To be left behind? It may not be intended that way, but it would all end up the same, left behind by those who they loved.   
Volfred merely sighed. “Reader... just because they will leave the Downside, does not mean they will abandon you.”

 

They tried to speak, but their words failed them, and Volfred stepped forward to wrap his arms around them. He could feel the Reader lay their thoughts bare, and he looked over them all carefully. Every little insecurity, every little dream, it seeped into him and he understood. The Reader truly wanted to be free with these people, and having that denied to them was heartbreaking. There had been a hope, however slim, that they’d get out with their friends.

Volfred softly laughed. “The Downside is not all that bad. You will come to enjoy it, I think, given time. There is much to do here, and nobody to stop you from reading.” He looked down at the Reader and spotted the corner of their lip lifting in a smile. “But I understand how you feel.”

Had the Reader been in better spirits, they would have joked that Volfred truly did understand, for he’d read their thoughts and emotions on the matter. Instead they buried their face in the Sap’s chest and let their tears out. To their surprise, the Sap was rather comfortable, soft clothes draped over soft bark, leaving him feeling almost human. Volfred’s hands gently threaded through the Reader’s hair, soothing them, hushing them with little English phrases that made their way into the Reader’s heart and put them at ease.   
“If the Nightwings do return to the Commonwealth, do you think they will truly forget you? The one who provided them an avenue of freedom?” Volfred’s words were soft as he spoke, and the Reader’s breath hitched. “You will have the Exiles we free in your heart, and they will have you in theirs.”

 

Volfred said no more, only rubbing the back of the Reader as their sobs petered out into nothing. It was only when he had to shift into a more comfortable position that he realized they’d fallen asleep, breathing gently with only a slight sniffle to disrupt their even breathing.

“Is everything alright, Volfred Sir?” 

Tariq’s voice broke through the silence, having entered the Blackwagon with his lute in hand. Volfred smiled at the Minstrel. “Our Reader has merely tired themself out. Would you kindly prepare their bed for them?”

“Of course,” the Minstrel answered with a nod, moving towards the sleeping quarters with something akin to haste. It made the Sap laugh softly, which made the Reader mumble and snuggle into his chest. Lifting the Reader was mildly awkward, but Volfred managed, carrying them into the quarters where Tariq was waiting, blanket draped over his arm. Carefully, Volfred set the Reader down, and the blanket was draped over them, making them stir but not wake. “Shall we leave them, Sir?”

The Sap nodded. “Come, we have information we must relay to the others.”  
Tariq nodded in response, and the two moved out of the sleeping quarters. Volfred merely hoped that the other Exiles would not take the news as poorly, and that perhaps, he would not have to carry them too into their beds.


End file.
